“A Celebration of Music and Culture Coming Together in a Distant World.”
The party has started by the time we take our seats. A Ceilidh is in full flow. It is fast, fun and makes it hard to sit down instead of instantly joining in. This is the joy of music encapsulated in the opening of the show. A joy that is captured and continued throughout.
This is a wonderful show that blends ceilidh dancing with the coming together of Scottish and South Korean cultures. It pulls at the heartstrings and engages the audience from the moment it sets up. We learn the story of a missionary from Joseon learning about Scottish culture, and giving some of his own culture back again. This story transcends time, as echoes from the past and future combine to tell a heartbreaking story of familial duty and nationalist pride.
The ensemble cast of Molly Bryson, Isabella Jarrett, Naomi Stirrat, Mi-soo Kim, Hyeon-kyu Choi, Jun-woo Hwang and Martin Donaghy work together perfectly to tell this tale, and all bring an infectious energy to the piece. Each player plays their part in delivering a beautiful piece.
The piece is written and directed by Robbie Gordon, Jack Nurse and Yoon Junghwan. It is tightly written, keeping the audience on their toes throughout with a story that keeps you guessing and some beautiful sequences on the stage that feel almost dreamlike. The infusion of Scots and Korean is also well done; these disparate languages spoken in tandem act well to show these cultures coming together and colliding. While the use of captioning helps with the translation, you do not need to understand the words to understand what is being said. The emotion of the piece and the acting transcends the language.
The music is a standout part of the piece. Composed by Stuart Ramage and played by the musicians Seyoung Lee, David Scobie, Rachel Campbell, Lewis McLaughlin, Duncan Ritchie and Gregor Niven. This band is wickedly talented and take no time to get into the swing of things. They blend Scottish and Korean folk incredibly and create lasting images in the minds of the audience. This is only heightened by the choreography of Gordon and Nam Hyumwoo.
This is a wonderful piece of theatre that will draw you in. The final moments can feel a little melodramatic, but that does not take away from the wonder and beauty of this piece. It is great to see such an imaginative and innovative piece produced by a brilliant collaboration between the Scottish Company Wonder Fools and South Korea’s Theatre SAN.
Show Listing: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/tether
LISTINGS INFORMATION:
Venue: Main Hall at Summerhall
Dates: 6th – 31st August (Not 11th, 18th, 25th)
Time: 16.30
Ticket prices: £17.00 / concessions £14.50
Fringe box office: 0131 226 0000 / www.edfringe.com
Suitable for 12+ (Guideline)